Raley's will open temporary market in Plaza

Raley’s will open a temporary market in the old Plaza Foods to serve Rancho Murieta while its new Bel Air Market is being built across the street, the supermarket chain announced Thursday. The temporary store is expected no later than January.

“Raley’s is committed to serving the Rancho Murieta community, both in the short and long term,” Keith Knopf, Raley’s chief operating officer, said in a press release.

At 17,000 square feet, the store, to be called Murieta Market by Raley’s, will be half the size of a traditional full-service Raley’s. Still, the Raley’s announcement said the market will include produce, meat, deli items and some prepared foods. The sale of wine, beer and liquor is dependent on a license, so it won’t happen until sometime after opening, the company said.

Raley's released its logo for the temporary market.

“I think we can serve for the next 10 months or so in a positive way,” said Chelsea Minor, the company’s director of public relations and public affairs. She said there are still some challenges to address, including equipment, before the existing market can be opened for business.

Joe Kovalik, whose company, Maple Leaf Investments of San Jose, owns Murieta Plaza, agreed about the equipment issues and said the Raley’s announcement was good news. “We get a supermarket in the community really soon,” he said.

Raley’s announced its plans for a new store in May, in partnership with Rancho Murieta Properties, and announced two weeks ago that the store would be a Bel Air. At the same time, a Murietan who operates Ione Plaza Market said he had been trying to open the old Plaza Foods as an interim market for the community, but he had backed off because Raley’s was clear that its new store would be open within a year.